


The Dinner Party

by cynatnite



Series: What Never Happened [2]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Gen, M/M, a little fluff, fear of the unknown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-16 14:08:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1350202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynatnite/pseuds/cynatnite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint refuses to attend Phil's goodbye party from the gang at the West Wing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dinner Party

Only one thing woke Clint Barton up with a smile and kept in a good mood for the rest of the day. It was having Phil Coulson move in next to his body, curl in close and kiss him. His sigh of contentment spread through his body as he pulled Phil’s arm around him.

“What time is it?”

“Six,” Phil said. He kissed Clint’s ear and then nuzzled his neck.

“Mmm, feels good.” Clint closed his eyes. “Morning sex sounds good.”

“I thought shower sex would be more adventurous.”

“Both would be taxing,” Clint teased.

“I’d say challenging.”

“You’re always up for a challenge.”

Phil moved on top of him. “Always.”

They made love slow and easy in the bed. When they finished, they headed to the shower, soaped each other’s bodies and the sex continued to be as good as it was the first time around. Afterwards, Clint was in the kitchen making coffee while Phil dressed.

He glanced at Phil when he entered dressed for work and held out a cup. “Here’s to your last day as a Fed.”

“Thanks.” Phil sipped the coffee and nodded. Strong, just the way he liked it. “I’ve been going to work as Mike Casper for so long it’ll be strange to live without the name.”

“At least we’ve got a solid week off together when you’re done. There is a sailfish that’s got my name on it in Key West.”

Phil smiled. Clint had been planning the trip for weeks and he was just as excited. Some intimate time alone together was what the doctor ordered.

“This afternoon the senior staff at the White House is getting briefed since Fury approved declassifying my cover. They’re all going to be at the dinner party Friday night.”

Clint set his cup down and folded his arms. “You want to talk about this again?”

“Yes, I do, Clint. I consider them friends and I want them to meet you.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t mind getting their stamp of approval in having me as your boyfriend, but this can’t happen. You know how it works.”

“This is a onetime dinner. You’ll likely never see them again. In a few years it’ll be a whole new administration.”

“I love you, you know, but people like me do not go to these things.” Clint gave Phil a kiss on the lips. “I’m spending the day training. Call me when you’re done and we’ll meet for dinner.”

Phil never did finish his coffee. Since informing the White House staff of his final day, a dinner party had been planned with him as the guest of honor. Both Leo and the President had made sure Phil knew to bring Clint, but since bringing up the subject, he had remained adamant. He would not attend. The reasons made perfect sense and at times Phil found himself nodding, but in the end he wanted nothing more than to have Clint at his side.

Once at the FBI, Phil had his early morning briefing. He was given a goodbye gift and a few hugs. He usually wound up spending a significant part of his day at the White House coordinating operations and keeping the staff informed. Being a liaison of both the FBI and SHIELD was a fulltime job.

The next meeting of the day had him going with the staff into the President’s office. His mind wasn’t fully on the briefing with Clint’s latest refusal. He turned his attention back to the meeting at hand when Toby spoke.

“Sir, there is a rumor,” Toby began.

The room collectively groaned.

“I heard this from an intern…”

Another collective groan.

“Good God,” Jed said. “I feel like I’m back in high school.”

“It’s a significant rumor, sir,” Toby insisted.

Josh rubs his face. “The last significant rumor you had was that the Senate Pro Tem was having an affair and his wife kicked him out of the penthouse.”

“This rumor is…”

“It’s still a rumor,” Phil said with a slight grin.

“Don’t you need to arrest someone?” Toby asked him.

“What is the rumor, Toby?” CJ asked barely containing her laughter.

“The Senate Pro Tem may have ED.”

“VD?” CJ asked. “Oh my, God. Really?”

“No!” Toby nearly yelled. “I said ED as in…oh, god you’re going to make me say it.”

Then CJ did erupt in laughter.

“Erectile dysfunction,” Phil said matter-of-factly. “It affects more than 30 million men in the country.”

“Mr. FBI man,” Josh said with a sigh. “Mike’s probably the most sexually adjusted person in this room.”

“Enough,” Jed ordered. He looks at Toby. “Toby, why do you feel the need to torture poor CJ with this?”

“Sir, ED can be the result of any number of other illnesses including diabetes, high blood pressure and prostate cancer,” Toby informed him.

“He barely won his district last year, sir,” Josh said. “The Shaw Island standoff could tip it if he can’t stay in office due to health concerns.”

“Get a meeting, Josh,” Jed told him. “I need to know if the Senate is going to flip by the time I leave office.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Josh answered.

“Mr. President,” Phil said. “Two suspected Bahi sleepers were picked up at the Mexican border in El Paso three hours ago. Their names are on the no fly list. The Qumari government is requesting to have a diplomat present when we start interrogations.”

“Leo?” Jed asked.

“We can classify them enemy combatants and pretty much decide what rights we want them to have,” Leo answered.

“And doing so gives every other terrorist a reason to attack Americans and our interests,” Will Baily added.

“They’ll attack us and our interests regardless of what we do,” Phil told him.

“Isn’t that like saying ‘I’m eventually going to get robbed so I might as well beat up the first black guy I run across’?” Will pressed.

Phil liked Will Baily most of the time. This was one of those times he didn’t. “Only if he’s with a group of guys who are doing the robbing regardless of race.”

“Mr. President,” Will said. “We need our moral authority desperately following the events of the last year with the Qumari. Allow the diplomat to be present and have the world watch how we publicly adjudicate terrorists.”

“Do we have anything else on them?” Jed asked Phil.

“They’re associates of known terrorists, Mr. President,” Phil answered. “If we can keep them for 48 hours, we’ll definitely learn more.”

“You have 24 hours, Mike,” Jed ordered. “If you don’t get anything else out of them, deport them. Leo, talk to the Qumari and make sure they’re informed of every step we make.” He looked at Phil. “If I find out they have even so much as a picture of a high valued target, they’re enemy combatants.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“What’s next?” Jed asked the room. When no one answered, he sat down. “Excellent.”

Everyone began to file out of the room, and Jed said, “Mike, got a minute?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

Phil closed the door and stood in front of the President’s desk with his hands in front of him.

“This afternoon the senior staff will get their briefing about your newly declassified status.”

“Yes, sir. Leo is working with my replacement.”

“I have no doubt everyone will be at the dinner party with bells on. I’m sending a car for you and Clint.”

“Sir,” Phil said as he shifted from one foot to another. He had been hoping to avoid the discussion of Clint.

“What is it?”

“Clint isn’t coming, Mr. President.”

“Is he busy? I thought you said he had two weeks off.”

“Yes, sir, he does. We planned a trip to Key West. It’s just that he’s not comfortable with this dinner, Mr. President.”

“Care to explain?”

“Do you mind if I sit, sir?”

“Go ahead.”

Phil took the chair next to the desk and leaned forward. “Clint feels that considering the nature of his work for SHIELD and this administration that the last place he belongs is…”

“In the same room with the people who ordered him to assassinate Shareef,” Jed finished. He didn’t need to bring up the rest of Clint’s history with the Qumari.

“The dinner is still a few days away, Mr. President. I might be able to change his mind.”

“Would it help if I spoke to him?”

“Sir, I think the last thing he would want is for anyone to approach him about this. He’s a bit touchy about it.”

“I see.” Jed leaned back. “I understand, Phil. I’ll keep his name on the list in case he changes his mind.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.” Phil got up and left the room.

Jed sat for a moment, then stood. He crossed the room and opened the door leading into Leo’s office. “Hey, busy?”

“What’s up?”

“I just spoke to Phil and he said Clint is refusing to attend the dinner party.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s had to do some ugly things for us.”

“I have the thing with the Virginia governor this evening. Can you arrange a detour on the way?”

“Are you sure about this, Mr. President?”

“Have I ever been able to take no for an answer?”

“I keep hoping, sir.”

~*~

Clint had spent most of the day training outside the city. He had leased a piece of land with an old house where he could set up targets, test his new arrows, and work out. He tried to get out at least a few times a week. His kind of training was a throwback to his circus days and while that time was not all pleasant, he always did enjoy coming up with new tricks to challenge himself. This spot was perfect for that.

After he had finished his latest shot, Clint headed back to the table where he set up his equipment. He paused at seeing the men approaching him, but soon realized what they were. Clint knew government agents when he saw them. Then he realized why they were here.

“Mr. President,” Clint said straightening. “This is a surprise, sir.”

“Phil’s told me a lot about you, Mr. Barton.” Jed held out his hand.

“Clint, sir, please.” Clint shook his hand. “I don’t know who Mr. Barton is.”

Jed looked at the equipment on the table and stopped at the wooden bow. “This is beautiful. May I?”

“Be my guest, sir.”

Jed picked up the bow and admired it. “Welsh longbow.”

“You know your bows, Mr. President.”

“This particular type goes back to the Hundred Years War. I studied them for a bit in college and found them to be an elegant weapon.”

“Yes, sir. I like them for their distance and power.”

“You don’t use this for your…?”

“I have something more compact, Mr. President.” Clint lowered his eyes a bit. This was not a comfortable conversation.

Jed set the bow down. “Phil told me you weren’t coming.”

“You shouldn’t be here, sir.”

“I’m allowed these detours from time to time. It’s the only time Leo looks the other way.”

“I lived in a town called Waverly a long time ago,” Clint told him. He got up and went to the table. “There are always two groups of kids at school. One side that got brand new shoes on the first day, who got everything they wanted for Christmas, and who always had money for their lunches.” He turned and looked at the President. “The other group got their big brother’s shoes or went to the thrift store, their playground was whatever garbage was in the backyard and the teachers were the ones that handed them their school supplies on the first day. I was in the latter group, Mr. President. You, Phil and your staff…you know what group you are.”

“Is that how you see us?”

“I guess I’m not doing a good job of making myself clear, sir.”

“It’s okay. Go ahead.”

“When we were sent to kill Shareef, I was picked to aim my weapon at him because I never miss. I assassinated Shareef and then we disposed of the gulfstream and the bodies. What I do is not for dinner parties, Mr. President.”

“You think that’s what we do at dinner parties, Clint? We talk about which head of state we knocked off or when the next coup is? This isn’t about you. It’s about Phil and our friendship with him.”

“Sir, I would like nothing more than to be there, but even your staff would know better than to invite the assassin. Your wife and children will be there.”

“They’re not going to know. Very few people will.”

“Sir, I do fucking ugly necessary things. I honestly don’t think I can stomach a dinner party with the people that order hits and don’t have a clue of what a dead body sounds like when it hits the floor.”

Jed gave Clint a nod of his head and turned to leave.

“Mr. President.”

He stopped and turned.

“How is your daughter, sir? Zoey.”

“She’s…” Jed almost said fine then changed his mind. “She still has nightmares on occasion. She always has a light on and wants two agents at her door every night. I don’t think she’s slept a full night since it happened.”

“Take the bedspread off her bed. Fold the blanket down and just leave a sheet. Too many covers can feel oppressive and suffocating. Like being blindfolded and tied up. Let someone she trusts sleep close by. She’ll feel safer. Secret service agents can’t give her that.”

Jed nodded and started to leave, then he stopped and turned.

“Did Phil tell you that he was at Rosslyn?”

“That was before we were together, sir.”

“It was probably a week after the shooting when I asked for a copy of the debriefing of the agent who got Zoey in the car when those gunmen tried to kill Charlie. Phil had driven over for a meeting with Ron Butterfield, one of our secret service agents before starting his cover with the FBI. He not only helped to make sure Zoey got in the car, but he had the wherewithal to return fire. Then he ran into the building where the shooters were, ready to face who knows what. We had no idea if the country was under attack at the time. For all anyone knew, whoever walked into that room with the shooters could’ve found themselves in something they couldn’t walk away from. That man is top drawer, Clint. You and I both know it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you and Phil earned a spot at the Bartlet dinner table anytime you want. Except the anniversary. The wife’s a little particular about that day for some reason.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re still not coming, are you?”

“It’s not a good idea, Mr. President.”

“I would never have gotten elected president if I only went with the good ideas,” Jed slyly replied.

“I’ll think about it, sir.”

“See that you do and you better decide on the bad idea.”

Clint grinned a little as President Bartlet turned to leave.

~*~

The limousine took the private drive leading to the secluded site of a private dinner.

“Will you stop pulling at your tie?” Phil fussed at Clint.

“This damn thing is choking me,” Clint said as he pulled it for the third time.

“Here, let me fix it.” Phil turned in the seat and began to adjust Clint’s tie. “What made you change your mind?”

“If I told you, I could get someone in a lot of trouble.”

“I don’t think I want to know.” Phil grinned a little as he straightened Clint’s collar. “You look fantastic.” He gave him a quick kiss and sat back.

Clint peered out the window. “Have you ever been here before?”

Phil shook his head. “Not that many people have. Presidents love it for the seclusion.”

“Never thought we’d ever be in a place like Camp David.”

“We’ve been all over the world, Clint.”

“Well, this was always one of two places I never thought I’d ever be at.”

“What was the other place?” Phil asked as the car came to a stop.

The door opened and Clint said, “The pope’s shitter.”

Once inside, happy faces came forward and introductions were made. Clint was a bit overwhelmed at seeing all the people Phil called friends were the very ones he caught on the news from time to time.

After introductions were made, Jed Bartlet held out his hand. “Clint, it’s good to see that you’re no stranger to bad ideas.”

“The worst ones are usually the best, Mr. President. At least that’s what I’ve been told.” Clint shook it and gave him a heartfelt smile.

“It’s about time, Barton,” Fury gave Clint a pat on the back. “I didn’t want to be the only wrong-side-of- the-railroad-tracks asshole at the party.”

“Glad I could help, sir.”

“Nanc, this is one of my best people Agent Clint Barton. Barton, NSA Director Nancy McNally.”

“It’s an honor, Director.” Clint exchanged a handshake.

“You ever want to quit working for this bozo, come see me. Our perks are better,” Nancy said with a smile.

Jed was flabbergasted at the exchange. He glanced at Leo. “Director Nick Fury called her Nanc. I don’t even get to call her that.”

“Sir, I’d hate to see what would happen if you did,” Leo commented.

“I’m getting that story before I leave office,” Jed swore.

After the dinner, toasts were next on the agenda for the evening. Donna gave a heartfelt soliloquy of sorts that ended with her tearing up. Josh stood up and gave the political message of the night by extracting a promise from Phil to always vote Democrat which ended with “this is in no way means a political operative was pressuring you to vote a certain way”. Toby and Leo offered theirs as well.

The evening ended with the President presenting a gift to Phil. Clint watched as Josh leaned towards him. “Watch Toby’s face,” he whispered. “It’ll be something.”

“You know what Phil’s getting.”

Clint saw Josh’s impish grin and looked at Phil as he stood next to the president. He glanced at Toby.

“Mr. Coulson, since you have set foot in my office you were graciously allowed to deceive myself and my staff, an easier feat than most would admit, for some time. To even wound us deeper, you have been able to learn much of our deepest and darkest secrets such as my wife’s penchant for causes that have no hope of winning, but you always found a way to drop a few facts that no one else would have considered a winnable strategy. You seemed to know how well she employed them.”

“Sir, I’m a sucker for the underdog.”

Jed took the large gift Leo was holding and held it out. “Through much toil we have determined what your deep dark secret is, my friend. You earned it.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.” Phil unwrapped the gift and it was obvious it was a picture frame. His eyes widened and he had to blink back the tears at the sight of it. “Mr. President, I…I don’t know what to say.”

“What is it?” Zoey asked.

Phil flipped it around so everyone could see. It was an old photo of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain America standing side by side.

Jed explained. “In 1943 sometime before Captain America’s disappearance the following year, he had one meeting with General Eisenhower. This is only one of a few photos that currently exist. It’s the only one in the world with both of their signatures. On the back is a certificate of authentication. If you sell it, you’ll likely be a millionaire.”

“Not on your life, Mr. President,” Phil said.

Clint smiled. He had never been so happy to have been wrong about not coming. He wouldn’t trade this very moment for anything. Clint was more than happy to watch Phil shine and his love for him grew.

He looked at Toby who nearly tripped over his chair getting to Phil. Clint said to Josh, “Toby’s a fan?”

“Toby and Phil could match each other for their collections. I walked in on the conversation. Who knew they were such fanboys?”

Clint laughed a little and joined in the applause.

It wasn’t much later when Clint was admiring the photograph with Phil that Nick approached them. “You two follow me, now.”

As they did, they noticed Nancy McNally coming up behind with Nick Fury. They were led into an office with President Bartlet and Leo.

“Mr. President,” Nick said. “I just received a message from SHIELD HQ that a lost ancient artifact was rediscovered. It’s been transferred to a secure location at Area 51.”

Nick took out the laptop, opened it and set it on the desk. Everyone moved closer to view the object. A cube reflecting shards of dancing blue light filled the screen.

“What is it, Nick?”

“Johan Schmidt first got his hands on it in 1942,” Nick explained. “It was in a monastery in Norway. He called it a Tessseract and it had belonged to Odin.”

Jed put his hands on the desk and leaned towards the laptop. “The All-Father. He was the most powerful of the Norse gods. What is this thing?”

“We’re not completely sure, Mr. President,” Nick answered. “The one who could offer the most answers is dead. Dr. Arnim Zola figured it out. He even manufactured weapons using it as a power source. Howard Stark even tried to reverse engineer them with no luck. Without understanding the nature of the Tesseract, we couldn’t begin to duplicate what the Germans did.”

“Howard Stark spent years searching for Captain America,” Phil said.

“Captain America did provide some of the technology powered by this thing,” Nick said. “The results of his tampering were nearly disastrous.”

“I’ve seen this before,” Clint said.

“When?” Nancy asked.

“The WSC sent me on a mission to track a Chinese spy in Germany. I caught up to him and he had similar drawings. I think there were even rocket schematics associated with this thing. The name Red Skull was written in the margins.”

“Red Skull was nothing more than a rumor,” Leo told the room.

“And Odin was a myth,” Jed murmured. “Clint, what happened to those notes?”

“I was ordered to destroy them after I…”

No one had to guess what Clint was going to say next.

“Why would the WSC want this buried?” Leo asked.

“Howard Stark likely saw the danger of such a device,” Nick stated. “He was a founder of SHIELD and he would be in a position of making sure this thing stayed buried.”

“Maybe he was right in the first place,” Nancy said. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I’d probably agree with the lot of you,” Nick told the room. “But I’ve only got one problem with doing that.”

“You’re probably thinking the same thing I am, Nick,” Leo said. “Someone made that and whoever did can probably wipe this planet out without giving it a second thought.”

“What do we know about these weapons?” Jed asked Nick.

“Rogers reported that they were energy weapons with no bullets,” Phil answered. “They could disintegrate a human leaving next to nothing except a small amount of residue and ash. I had access to the classified SHIELD reports, but few believed what he wrote after his disappearance.”

“Jesus,” Leo said. “The atom bomb was still on the drawing table.”

Jed was as serious as he’d ever been during his entire administration. The luminescent cube had his full attention. “I think it’s safe to say that this object might be otherworldly and it’s not a word I use lightly.”

“What do you want to do, Mr. President?” Leo asked.

“We have to prepare. We don’t have a choice.” Jed closed the laptop and looked at the room. “We humans have a tendency to have our heads up our asses when it comes to new toys and I recognize that it could happen in this instance.” He looked at Nick. “The WSC isn’t calling the shots on this one. I’ll have Leo get with their representative and we’ll hammer out a joint operation which will include the NSA.”

“I’ll need a site, Mr. President. It won’t be cheap,” Nick explained.

“We’ll have a line item in the next NASA budget for a deep space telescope that will take 10 years to build. Is that acceptable, Leo? Nancy?”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Nancy said. “We should be able to pool our resources.”

“Mr. President,” Phil said. “What about the Germans, sir? Their records might be invaluable.”

“Clint, you have your next assignment. Get the records and don’t leave a thing behind. If you want to go off the reservation on this, you have my full backing.”

“Sounds like I need to go to Budapest,” Clint said with a look at Phil.

“Oh, no you’re not!” Nick declared. “She damn near caused a war the last time we crossed paths with her. You were supposed to take her out”

“She’s real?” Leo said with alarm. He saw the question on Jed’s face. “She’s called the Black Widow, Mr. President. Please don’t get me started.”

“She’ll help us,” Clint said. “I can almost guarantee it.”

“I’ll take it,” Jed told him. “Go to Budapest, do whatever it takes to recruit this woman and get your asses to Germany. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. President.” Clint glanced at Phil and gave him a grin.

“Agent Coulson and I will start hunting for a site. It’ll take some time to build and recruit personnel,” Nick told him.

Jed walked around the desk and folded his arms. “I was going to impart to you a thoughtful and moving quote and every one of them seems unequal to the occasion. All I can tell you is this: Today, the world changed. We’re the only ones that know it. God help us when the rest of the world realizes it.”

~*~

During the ride back home, Clint leaned against Phil and gazed at the photo. He was unsettled by the non-meeting.

“What do you think Captain America would say if he were alive right now?” Clint asked.

“I don’t know.” Phi kissed on his cheek. “Why?”

“Am I the only one that’s scared as hell, Phil?”

“It’s the unknown. We’ve never dealt with anything like this before.”

“This cube is dangerous. We shouldn’t mess with it.”

“You heard Leo, Clint. We don’t know who made it or where they’re from. They’ve been here before and we don’t know if they’re coming back. If they’re not friendly, we have to be ready.”

Clint set the photo aside and leaned back his head. “I want to quit, Phil. I want us to get as far away from this as we can. Let’s leave before…”

“Clint.” Phil shifted in his seat and saw the fear in Clint’s eyes. “Everything will be fine. You’re just rattled by the meeting with the President and Fury.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Clint took a deep breath to get a handle on his crazy emotions. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Phil said before giving him a kiss. “This mission will be over before you know it. Let’s worry about our trip to Key West tomorrow. Got it?”

“Yeah.” Clint made himself smile and he kissed Phil.

“I love you, babe.”

“Me, too.”

Clint was sure everything would be fine.

 

END


End file.
